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PROCUREMENT
PURCHASING POLICY
The Purchasing Policy and Procedures Manual for the City of Kerrville, Texas is based upon Texas and Federal Law and was adopted by City Council. Texas Law is the primary authority for purchasing procedures, and therefore, portions of this manual uses language taken directly from state statutes. At other times, the manual paraphrases and generalizes state law in an effort to assist in the understanding and application of purchasing requirements.
The Goals of this policy are to:
1. Ensure compliance with Federal, State and local purchasing laws,
2. Establish policies and procedures that maintain the integrity of the purchasing process, encourage competition and achieve cost savings, and
3. Procure goods and services of the requested quality and quantity from responsible sources using the most efficient and economical means at the best possible price with availability when and where they are needed.
It is the City's mission to ensure the best use of taxpayer funds and to maintain a balance between quality, availability and price.
To review the City's policy, please click here.
STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS
Please click here to review the City of Kerrville Standard Terms and Conditions.
SIGNING OF CONTRACTS
City Charter gives contracting authority (power to sign contracts) to the City Manager or their duly authorized designee. No other agent, officer, or employee of the City of Kerrville may sign contracts on behalf of the City. Authorized designees for the City include the City Manager, City Attorney, Risk Management, Finance Director, and Procurement Coordinator.
Only persons duly authorized to negotiate and make contractual commitments on behalf of the vendor may sign quotes or bids.
BID POSTINGS
Keep up to date with all contracts available through the City. Please sign up for Bid Notices here and Public Notices here. You may also access Bid Postings on BidNet Direct or on CivCast.
Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB's)
In accordance with Local Government Code Section 252.0215, the City of Kerrville requires our departments to seek the participation of Historically Underutilized Businesses for purchases over $3,000. Such businesses include veteran-owned, woman-owned, minority-owned, Asian Pacific Americans, and Native Americans. The State of Texas Centralized Master Bidders List is used as a resource. To find out if your business qualifies, please visit www.Texas4HUBs.com
PURCHASES UNDER $50,000
For purchases of $5,000—$50,000, the City Department or the Procurement Coordinator will solicit price quotations from a minimum of three (3) sources on a rotating basis to ensure fair and reasonable competition.
PURCHASES OVER $50,000
The formal solicitation process is required when a purchases of goods or services exceed $50,000. Formal solicitations include Invitation For Bids (IFB), Requests For Proposals (RFP) or Requests For Qualifications (RFQ).
Formal solicitation packages for large construction projects or Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) - including specifications, plans, and bid forms - can be obtained through CiviCast online. For all other formal and informal solicitations for products and services, the City utilizes BidNet Direct. Respondents can submit their responses electronically in accordance with Texas Local Government Code 252.0415.
Responses to formal solicitations received after the deadline date/time will not be accepted.
Results for Invitation For Bid’s (IFB) are generally opened on a specific date/time, which will be included in the solicitation document. No proprietary information will be released at the Bid Opening, and results will be published on the City’s website Public Notices page here.
Requests for Proposals (RFP) and Requests for Qualifications (RFQ) solicitation responses will be reviewed by a committee that will evaluate and make selections based on the information in the solicitation and possible follow up questions or interviews. The results for selection of the proposal or qualification response will be announced upon award by City Council and published on the City’s Public Notices website within 7 days of the contract award by City Council. The RFP or RFQ document contains an anticipated solicitation schedule to inform respondents of the City’s processes for selection.
INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS
Where the City Contracts with an outside party (contractor, consultant, vendor, or concessionaire) for goods or services, the contract should include indemnity and hold harmless provisions that appropriately transfer the project risks from the City to the contractor. Because the contractor may or may not have the financial resources to account for the risks, the City requires the contractor to purchase and maintain valid insurance to help ensure the financial security required by the City. The insurance types and amounts are as follows:
A. Worker's Compensation covering all employees per the state statutory requirement is required on all contracts, click here.
B. Liability Insurance is required on all contracts.
1. Employer's Liability of $100,000;
2. Comprehensive General Liability and Bodily Injury & Property Damage $1,000,000 per occurrence and $2,000,000 general aggregate; and
3. Business Automobile Liability covering owned vehicles, rented and non-owned vehicles, and employee non ownership Bodily Injury Property Damage $1,000,000 (per occurrence and aggregate).
PURCHASING COOPERATIVES
City Department's or the Procurement Coordinator may use vendors that participate in a Cooperative Purchasing Program under Texas Government Code Chapter 271.102. A local government that purchases goods or services using a purchasing cooperative satisfies the state law requirement to seek competitive bids for goods and services.
Purchasing cooperatives the City participates in are listed below:
Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC)
Purchasing Cooperative of America (PCA)
Purchasing Association of Cooperative Entities (PACE)
Texas Interlocal Purchasing System (TIPS)
Texas Department of Information Resources (TX-DIR)
APPROVED VENDORS DATABASE
VENDOR SALES - WALK-INS & PHONE CALLS
The City has a diverse set of needs and City personnel are tasked with keeping the City running smoothly. An essential part of the City running smoothly is having an adequate number of suppliers and service providers that can meet our needs.
The City’s budget year begins October 1 and runs through September 30. City personnel work diligently to budget sufficient funds to purchase vehicles, equipment, products, materials, supplies and services each fiscal year. City personnel cannot make purchases outside of what is already budgeted once City Council approves the budget unless an unforeseen need/breakdown or emergency situation occurs.
The City welcomes vendors to provide their contact information and other pertinent information about their products and services.
The City receives countless numbers of vendor sales walk-in’s and vendor sales phone calls. To better assist you, we ask that vendor walk-in's leave your contact information and products and services information with the receptionist at City Hall. Scheduling phone calls, virtual or in-person meetings is NOT available due to limited meeting space, heavy workloads, strict deadlines and other priorities that are required to keep the workflow throughout the City running smoothly. Personnel can not allocate time for sales calls when other pertinent City business must be addressed first. The receptionist will provide the Procurement Coordinator's business card to you. In turn, your information will be given to the Procurement Coordinator to keep on file.
The City requires vendors to have general liability, automobile insurance, worker's compensation coverage as required by law. Please review the section for insurance requirements listed above.
Vendors are encouraged to participate in a purchasing cooperative. There are hundreds of purchasing cooperatives in Texas, and thousands across the nation (see short list above to get started). This will give your business more exposure to public entities (government, school districts, universities, colleges, etc.) seeking to work with vendors like you.
To receive notification about formal solicitations (IFB, RFP, RFQ), please sign up for Bid Notices here and Public Notices here. Formal solicitations may also be found at BidNetDirect.com or CivCast.com. CivCast is typically used by the City for large construction projects, also known as Capital Improvement Projects (CIP). BidNet Direct is typically used for all other formal and informal solicitations.
If you are a vendor seeking more information about "government contracts," please visit TXSmartBuy for Texas contracts and SAM.gov for federal contracts.
We appreciate that you want to work with us and thank you for taking time to provide information about your business.